By Hassan Isilow
South Africa will support Nigeria to become a member of the G20, President Cyril Ramaphosa said Tuesday during the official launch of his country’s presidency of the G20 in Cape Town.
This is the first time that an African country will lead the group of powerful nations on a yearly rotational basis.
“Nigeria will be keenly supported by us. We have been a lone member of G20. We shall need to raise the voice of Africa which had been neglected,” Ramaphosa said, adding they will support Nigeria as they did to the African Union to become a member of the G20.
The African Union was accepted as a permanent member of the G20 at the bloc's summit in New Delhi last year.
Nigeria on Monday indicated its desire to join the group and sought South Africa’s support.
According to media reports, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu reportedly made the request during a ministerial session of the 11th bi-national commission between South Africa and Nigeria held in Cape Town on Monday.
South Africa officially assumed its presidency of the G20 on Sunday.
Ramaphosa said his country’s G20 presidency comes at a time when the world is facing severe challenges, including a worsening climate change crisis, conflicts, war, geopolitical instability which are causing further hardship and suffering.
He said this is happening at a time of great technological change, which presents both opportunities and risks.
“Working together with G20 members, and building partnerships across society, South Africa will seek to harness global will and capabilities to confront these challenges,” Ramaphosa said.
He said his country will use its G20 Presidency to secure urgent progress on shared goals through a number of priority actions.
“First, we must take action to strengthen disaster resilience,” he said, adding that the increasing rate of climate-induced natural disasters is affecting countries around the world, with a devastating impact on those countries that cannot afford the costs of recovery and rebuilding.
“We will elevate this issue to leader level, calling for the global community, including international financial institutions, development banks and the private sector, to scale up post-disaster reconstruction,’’ he said.
Ramaphosa said they will also focus on taking action to ensure debt sustainability for low-income countries. South Africa will also use its presidency to mobilize finance for a just energy transition.